The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-08-17

When the contents of dredge are
hauled up from the deep sea at midday
the curious shapes and colors of
animals alone attract attention; but If
they are examined at night they de-
vel0p new feature, cleaning with q
wonderous light that is little under
stood. The star fishes brought up at
certain places are all seemingly heated
to a white heat, the CLEANS running up
and down the arms, making the animal
a marvel of beauty. Especially among
the stars known as ophinrans is the
light most brilliant and interesting.
Even the very young ones sparkle like
gems. A dredge has been taken from
a great depth fairly overlooking with
these dazzling creatures, telling a
wonderful story of the condition of
things below the surface. These are
the light of the bottom, and in shoaler
water we shall find anemones and
corals emitting wonderful light.
Perhaps the most striking light given
is a group of polyps, growing upon a
stem three or four feet in length, re-
sembling tall candlestick. The name
of this creature is the umbellularis, and
it was first found in deep water off the
coast Of Greenland, the trawl bringing
up such large numbers that it was evil
dent that the ship had passed over q
veritable forest of them. Imagine a
corn. field mile or so below the sur
face, the stalks four feet long, and the
ears emitting golden greenish light of
wonderful softness; think of this as
spread over acres of surface to an in
definite extent, the lights waving
here and there in gentle undula-
tions; imagine fishes darling through
them with cleaning headlights,
others outlined in fire, while
far above are great globes of
light, with soft aureolas, and some idea
of this world beneath the sea can be
formed. The sea-pens, to which this
curious form is allied, are nearly all
wonderfully luminous.
Some resemble short pens; others.
as virgularia, are long and slender;
while others again look like plumes.
One of the latter, known to science as
veretillum, has been used as lamp,
several being confined in glass. af-
fording light enough to read by at
distance of twelve inches. The sea-
pens afford interesting objects to ex-
pertinent with. They are fringed with
polyps, and when one of the arms is
pinched the light appears gradually
spreading to the other parts In regular
succession, very few seconds sufficing
for the illumination of the entire ami
NAL. On the Patagonian coast, some
years ago, there was an etremely low
CHI Wit
variety of sea-pens, and Ut night, when
they all cleaned with pnosphorescence
the sight is described as resembling the
lights of an immense army that was
slowly swallowed up as the tide came
IN.
The Jelly fishes, or medusp, are
among the most remarkable of all
ht-givers, and, with few exceptions,
they are luminous, some being more so
than others, and much of the phos-
phorescence of the Pacific, as seen
from the decks of vessels, is due to
these creatures that are SO beautifully
formed and so delicate in color, yet in
reality are % per cent. water; in all
Jelly fishes 3 per cent. will represent
the solid part. In some, as pelagia,
the entire animal is luminous, its shape
being outlined in foil, as it were, while
in others only certain portions are
light-emitting Not only are these
creatures phosphorescent, but the col
ors are different; some emit golden
light; in others it is green or azure,
and some seem to combine several
tints. Again, certain ones are lumin-
Gus all the time; others show their
light in fitful way or when disturbed,
and during the autumn of the year.
hurled against the rock and ground
up, their lights seem to combine in
turning the entire ocean into seething
caldron. San Francisco Chronicle.